Ahhhh, tradition!

Many years ago, Hubs and I made it our family tradition to get a new ornament every year.

This sounded great when it was just the two of us. Still okay when there were three. But we decided to have five children. I don't think we were thinking ahead with this tradition. That is over 125 ornaments if all our children stay with us until they are 18.

We are going to need a stronger tree.

Anywhoo, we have had some pretty good luck picking out ornaments. Hubs always, ALWAYS gets a football one. Yeah, shocking. Almost as shocking as when we go out to eat and he orders a hambugar. Just like that.

Kobe gets something sporty. Kyla usually will get a snowman or an animal. Brody is unpredictable, one year cars, another year a policeman, the next year Santa...you just never know with him. Camden will choose something...then change his mind...then change it back. By the time we leave the area he has decided on 15 different ornaments. Briggy...well, we make him choose from the cart. It's just better that way. Trust me.

So like I was saying we have had good luck with ornaments...specifically not breaking them with all our children.

Until this year...

You see, we came a few days late this year, which meant that all the cute, child friendly ornaments were pretty much gone. All that was left was the if-you-even--look-at-me-wrong-I-am-going-to-shatter ornaments.

So I told the kids to be extra careful. What I didn't know was that it was Opposite Day. (grrrr)

We start looking for ornaments and I hear, "Crash! Shatter! Shatter! Shatter!" I look over and there is Camden, face white as Santa's beard. To make it worse, these women, who couldn't have ever had children gasp, loudly and say, "Oh my. Look what you did." Like he needed their help feeling bad. Thanks! That was all it took for the tears that he had been fighting to spill out.

 I pick up the half broken child and distract him. I then pick up the completely broken ornaments and debate what to do.

C'mon. You know you've been there. Do I simply put them back on the shelf and pretend that nothing happened? I mean, it is their fault that they have 50 breakable, stringed ornaments hanging on one hook within a child's reach. What do they expect? Or do I follow my conscience and pick up the tag and bring it to the front and pay for it.

I did the later....dang conscience.

Then Brody, who had chosen a gawdy beautiful, white glass icicle looking ornament, was trying to help Camden find an ornament and in kneeling down also crushed and shattered his ornament. Lucky for him there were no meany-pants ladies to make him feel worse. He mourned the loss. After much searching Hubs found an almost exact replica. Yay!

Kobe was ticked because there were no good ornaments to choose from so he was refusing to choose one this year. "Good," I thought, "One less ornament to break." But then Hubs found a Steelers ornament that was 3x's the price of the other ones and he changed his mind. Double yay!

Kyla was torn between two: a snowman that changed colors or a dog holding a "Hope" sign. Tough choice, huh. She was literally in tears. "If I choose this one, I will feel bad that I didn't choose the other one. I don't know what to do." It was very emotional.

Briggy's was love at first sight. No drama. No breaking. Cookie Monster. A boy after my own heart!

It took an hour and a half. We did break about 4 ornaments that we didn't have to pay for. Ahhhh, yes, another successful year of the ornament choosing.

Tradition!!!!